Visual Studio .NET is a superb, next-generation development tool. At its heart is the .NET Framework, a runtime engine and class library that enables rapid application building for both Windows and Web applications. The runtime engine handles housekeeping, like memory management, while also providing fine-grained security and version awareness. The class library reduces the code needed to build rich applications. Visual Studio .NET also provides a slick visual environment, with features like tabbed and docking windows, dynamic online help, and automatic code completion and hints. The common runtime is language-neutral, so, for example, Visual Basic programmers can use components written in C# and vice versa.

Other languages, such as COBOL and FORTRAN, can plug into Visual Studio, and Microsoft provides a version of the Java language called J#. These two languages, along with J#, have full support for the visual design tools in Visual Studio .NET. Also included is JScript .NET, Microsoft's version of JavaScript, although this comes without a form designer. Visual C++ is more similar to earlier versions, and is the only compiler included that can build old-style Windows executables. With a compiler switch, it can also target .NET, making it particularly flexible.

The Enterprise Developer edition has source-code management with Visual SourceSafe, performance testing, and analysis tools. It also includes developer versions of many of Microsoft's server products, including SQL Server, Commerce Server, Exchange Server, and the Windows 2000 Advanced Server operating system. These are licensed for development only, but even so, it is a rich range of products. Finally, there is the ability to use enterprise templates. New in Visual Studio .NET, these are sophisticated skeleton projects that assist organizations in maintaining consistent best practices. The twist is that, while Enterprise Developer can use these templates, it cannot create them. For that you need the high-end Enterprise Architect.

Overall, Visual Studio .NET is a radical break from the past for Microsoft. C# is an entirely new language, aimed at C and C++ programmers looking for something safer and more productive. Visual Basic .NET is a new twist on the old Microsoft favorite, losing compatibility with earlier versions but gaining full object orientation as well as access to all the .NET libraries.

There are a few points against Visual Studio .NET. One is that, like earlier versions, it only creates applications that run on Windows. Web applications are a partial exception, in that they support cross-platform clients, but deployment requires a Windows Web server. Another factor is, with its multiple compilers and mountains of documentation, Visual Studio .NET eats up gigabytes of disk space, and the IDE tends to be slow with less than around 384 MB RAM. Serious developers will take this in stride, but casual users could have difficulty. Fortunately, the applications created have more modest system requirements, although Windows 95 is not supported. Finally, developers coming from earlier editions face a lot of learning, with radical changes in both Visual Basic and ASP.